# wild potato vine

*Ipomoea pandurata*

The root is so large and moisture-rich that it was historically used as a reliable water and food source during droughts, earning the name 'Man-of-the-Earth'.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Solanales › Convolvulaceae › Ipomoea
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Open deciduous forests, forest margins, rocky slopes, and dry upland fields.
- **Diet:** Autotroph (Photosynthesis)
- **Range:** Eastern United States, Central United States, Southern Ontario
- **Size:** Climbing vines up to 9 meters; taproots can weigh over 13 kilograms.
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (10-25 years)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and intensive herbicide use in roadside and agricultural maintenance.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to touch. The massive tuber is edible only if cooked thoroughly; however, seeds contain ergoline alkaloids and are toxic if ingested. Avoid disturbing the soil around the delicate root crown.

## About

Ipomoea pandurata , known as man of the earth , wild potato vine , manroot , wild sweet potato , and wild rhubarb , is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have purgative...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/302ec603-3bca-4d93-8078-7a97f99e8fd9
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119737
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea pandurata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/84898487/medium.jpg (Jim Duggan, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.